Above - Fenham Flats, Lindisfarne, looking towards Holy Island...
Above - Little Grebe juv. A very unusual road casualty on the A1 today. Maybe it mistook the wet road for a water body...
Before going out this morning with JWR, I took some photos of last nights moth catch. None on sugar as it was quite windy, but late on there was quite a good turn out at various windows. Apart from those below I also had Riband Wave, LBB Yellow Underwing, Tawny Speckled Pug, Garden Carpet, Common Rustic and Large Yellow Underwing .
The Lesser Swallow Prominent is the best though, what a stunner. On the wall of the phone box in the village when I took Bunty out at midnight.
We headed northwards again this morning in dull breezy conditions. A moderate SW6 isnt the best for birding in Northumberland. First stop was some wet woodland near Bamburgh where a large flock of passerines came through the cover and passed us on a circuit. It held many Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, Blue, Great and Long tailed Tits, 2 Willow Tits, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Blackcap, 3 Lesser Redpolls and a couple of Grasshopper Warblers in the edge scrub. A Buzzard soared overhead. Brown Hare and Roe Buck were both seen briefly as they made off.
Next stop was fleeting at Monks House Pool. Here were 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Snipe and a single Swift flew south overhead. Will it be the last one of 09?
Then on to Budle Bay. The tide was well up here pushing birds into the edge vegetation but we managed to find a single Greenshank and a Black tailed Godwit. 1 Goosander fed in the main channel.
To avoid the holiday makers we went off -piste, so to speak, and checked a little known corner of the Lindisfarne Nature Reserve at Fenham Flats. This was quite good, with the first Wigeon of autumn when 10 birds flew N, 2 Black tailed Godits, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 157 Mallard, 100+ Curlew and many assorted gulls of the commoner species.
Some scrub edging the salt marshes held 1 Whinchat, 1 Whitethroat and a few Willow Warblers.
So not a bad day then....
Above - Dark Marbled Carpet.
Above - Small Phoenix, I think.
Above - Small Square Spot.
Above - Lesser Swallow Prominent showing how an obviously patterned moth can be camouflaged in the right setting. I caught this one in the telephone box last night.
8 comments:
What are you using as temporary holding pens? I have tried the wife's specimen bottles but I find it difficult getting them in.
I like the look of Fenham Flats, Stewart. That's a neat illustration of the moth camouflage.
Looks good enough for a Small Phoenix to me, Stewart.
Alan, 35mm film cannisters are good for potting up the average sized moths.
Is it just the angle of the photo or did that Little Grebe have one leg much bigger than the other?
Poor old grebe. :-(
Two Groppers! I'd love just one to visit my patch - maybe tomorrow!
Awww thats so sad i cant bear to see animals hurt.
Alan - Jam Jars and small tupperware boxes. Remember, I was born in Pegswood.
RR - Fenham and Lindisfarne is a fantastic place. There is always somewhere to have to yourself, even on Bank Holidays....
Dean - Phew, one right anyway. Film cannisters will be tricky to find nowadays...
Crammy - The Grebe had one of its legs 'peeled' to muscle and bone on the road as a result of its collision with cars, so I showed its best side.
Warren - The place I had the Groppers was an ideal breeding spot for them so they are most likely locals.
Good post. Shame about the Grebe...never come across one of those as a road casualty.
kingsdowner is heading up this way over the bank holiday and is looking for good sites. I'm sure you'll help, iv'e already mentioned holy island.
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